Rig Veda 7.4.9: Mandala 7, Sukta 4, Mantra 9
Sukta 7.4
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
त्वमग्ने वनुष्यतो नि पाहि त्वमु नः सहसावन्नवद्यात् । सं त्वा ध्वस्मन्वदभ्येतु पाथः सं रयिः स्पृहयाय्यः सहस्री ॥
tvám agne vanuṣyató ní pāhi tvám u naḥ sahasāvan avadyā́t | sáṃ tvā dhvasmán-vad abhy ètu pā́thaḥ sáṃ rayíḥ spṛhayā́yyaḥ sahasrī́ ||
Tú, Agni, protege al que se afana en el servicio; tú, oh Poderoso, guárdanos de la falta. Que hacia ti venga el sendero con ímpetu firme; que hacia nosotros, en tu llama, se reúna la riqueza deseable, mil veces.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुं; संबोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वनुष्यतः
- of the worshipper/one who seeks (you)Adjective/Participle (used substantively)पुं; षष्ठी; एकवचन (जनिटिव: ‘of the worshipper/one who seeks’)Role सम्बन्धRoot वनुष्यत् (प्रातिपदिक; √वनुष् ‘to desire/seek, to worship’ से वर्तमान-कृदन्त/विशेषण)
- नि
- down, in; (as preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Root नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पाहि
- protect!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √पा (पाने/रक्षणे) ‘to protect’
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- उ
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableअवधारण/अनुनासिक-बलवर्धक निपातRoot उ (निपात)
- नः
- for us / of usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (enclitic) — ‘of us/for us’Role सम्प्रदान (अर्थे ‘for us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- सहसावन्
- O mighty oneAdjective (vocative)पुं; संबोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सहसावन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘having might/strength’, सहस् + वन्)
- अवद्यात्
- from fault/blame (from what is blameworthy)Noun/Adjective (ablative)नपुं; पञ्चमी; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot अवद्य (प्रातिपदिक; a-vadya ‘blameless’/‘faultless’; or ‘from दोष/निन्द्य’ with privative a-)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot सम् (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- त्वा
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया; एकवचन (enclitic)Role कर्मRoot युष्मद्
- ध्वस्मन्
- the assault/hostile onrushNounनपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot ध्वस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘assault/attack, hostile onrush’—वेदिक)
- वत्
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक अव्ययRoot वत् (तद्धित/अव्यय; ‘like, as’)
- अभि
- towards, againstIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- एतु
- let it go/comeVerbलोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √इ (गत्यर्थ) ‘to go’
- पाथः
- the path/courseNounनपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (एतु इत्यस्य)Root पाथस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘path, course, way’)
- सम्
- together, whollyIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot सम्
- रयिः
- wealth, bountyNounपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अध्याहृत-क्रियायाः/आशीः)Root रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्पृहयाय्यः
- much-desired, covetedAdjectiveपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचन (रयिः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणRoot स्पृहयाय्य (प्रातिपदिक; desiderable/longed-for; √स्पृह् ‘to desire’ से)
- सहस्री
- thousandfold, in thousandsAdjectiveपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचन (रयिः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणRoot सहस्रिन्/सहस्री (प्रातिपदिक; ‘thousandfold/with thousands’—वेदिक रूप)
Sandhi Notes
- संहितापाठः → पदच्छेदः (मुख्य): त्वम् अग्ने वनुष्यतः नि पाहि । त्वम् उ नः सहसावन् अवद्यात् । सम् त्वा ध्वस्मन्-वत् अभि एतु पाथः । सम् रयिः स्पृहयाय्यः सहस्री । Sandhi: (1) त्वमग्ने → त्वम् + अग्ने (म् + अ)
- (2) त्वमु → त्वम् + उ
- (3) सहसावन्नवद्यात् → सहसावन् + अवद्यात् (न् + अ)
- (4) सं त्वा → सम् + त्वा (म् before dental → nasal assimilation)
- (5) ध्वस्मन्वदभ्येतु → ध्वस्मन् + वत् + अभि + एतु (न्+व; त् + अ; इ + ए)
- (6) पाथः सं → पाथः + सम् (visarga before s-; written as सं in saṃhitā)
The meaning
Outer meaning
You, Agni, protect the one who strives to serve; you, O mighty one, guard us from fault. Let the path come to you with firm intensity; let the desirable plenitude, thousandfold, gather to us.
Inner meaning
Agni protects the aspirant (vanuṣyataḥ: the one who seeks, serves, strives) by shielding the inner work from deviation (avadyāt: fault, wrongness). The ‘path’ (pāthaḥ) is the channel of progress and right movement of energies; it must converge to Agni ‘with firmness’ (dhvasmanvat: compact, intense, unbroken). When will and path are unified, the true wealth (rayiḥ)—plenitude of being, capacities, lights—collects in abundance (sahasrī: thousandfold) around the flame.
Universal truth
Progress requires protection from error and a firm channeling of energies. When intention is steady and aligned to the highest will, life’s powers gather and multiply.
Themes
Protection, Aspiration, Abundance, Guided progress
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa lineage, traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.4.1-10, RV 7.5.1-11
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭhas are notable for prayer as disciplined alignment—asking Agni for protection from error and for the gathering of rays/powers (rayi) around the inner flame.
Significance
This is a seeker’s safeguard-mantra: protection, purification from fault, and concentration of the path—core to Vasiṣṭha’s yoga of ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Sahasāvan, Rakṣitṛ (protector, implied), Pathi-nāyaka (leader of the path, implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (victory over fault/resistance), Varuṇa-Mitra (guardians of ṛta), Soma (delight as part of rayi)
Cosmic role
Guardian of the rite and purifier; gathers the powers of life into right order and offers them upward.
Inner power
Protective discernment and force that prevents wrong turns; concentrates energies into a single luminous current; attracts plenitude.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective Agni invocation within offerings; guarding the sacrifice from doṣa (fault)
त्वम॑ग्ने वनुष्य॒तो नि पा॑हि॒ त्वमु॑ नः सहसावन्नव॒द्यात् । सं त्वा॑ ध्वस्म॒न्वद॒भ्ये॑तु॒ पाथ॒: सं र॒यिः स्पृ॑ह॒याय्य॑: सह॒स्री ॥
त्वम् । अ॒ग्ने॒ । व॒नु॒ष्य॒तः । नि । पा॒हि॒ । त्वम् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । नः॒ । स॒ह॒सा॒ऽव॒न् । अ॒व॒द्यात् । सम् । त्वा॒ । ध्व॒स्म॒न्ऽवत् । अ॒भि । ए॒तु॒ । पाथः॑ । सम् । र॒यिः । स्पृ॒ह॒याय्यः॑ । स॒ह॒स्री ॥
tvam | agne | vanuṣyataḥ | ni | pāhi | tvam | oṃ iti | naḥ | sahasāvan | avadyāt | sam | tvā | dhvasman-vat | abhi | etu | pāthaḥ | sam | rayiḥ | spṛhayāyyaḥ | sahasrī
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Protective and gathering; strong opening address, then a compressing ‘saṃ’ movement (collecting).
Creates a sense of being shielded and ‘pulled together’ inwardly; supports concentration and ethical clarity.
- वनुष्यतः (vanuṣyataḥ)
- Literal: of one who serves/strives. Symbolic: the seeker offering life to the inner sacrifice
- सहसावन् (sahasāvan)
- Literal: powerful, strong. Symbolic: the forceful divine will capable of overcoming resistance
- अवद्यात् (avadyāt)
- Literal: from fault/blameworthy thing. Symbolic: from wrong movement, impurity, deviation in sādhanā
- पाथः (pāthaḥ)
- Literal: path, way. Symbolic: channel of consciousness-energy; ṛta-current
- ध्वस्मन्वत् (dhvasmanvat)
- Literal: with compactness/firmness (smoke/dust-like density). Symbolic: concentrated intensity; unbroken application
- रयिः (rayiḥ)
- Literal: wealth, abundance. Symbolic: plenitude of being—powers, light, joy, right resources
- स्पृहयाय्यः (spṛhayāyyaḥ)
- Literal: desirable, to be longed for. Symbolic: true objects of the soul’s aspiration (not vital craving)
- सहस्री (sahasrī)
- Literal: thousandfold. Symbolic: manifold increase of inner capacities and supports
Protective prayer during offering: safeguarding from ritual/ethical fault and invoking the ‘path’ and ‘rayi’ to converge through Agni.
When beginning or stabilizing the rite; also as a prayer for correctness of performance
Recitation to invoke protection, prevent mistakes, and call in abundance (rayi)
Use before meditation or important tasks: ask for protection from inner error and for concentrated effort (dhvasmanvat).
from √ ‘protect’. (avadya) ‘blameworthy’ a- + vadya from √ ‘say’ → ‘that which is spoken against’. (vanuṣy-) from √ ‘to win, desire, seek’ → ‘one who seeks/worships’. (pāthaḥ) from √/ ‘path’. (spṛh) ‘to desire, long for’.
Protection from avadya (inner fault), Path as spiritual course, Rayi as plenitude
‘Path’ converging to Agni suggests aligning the personal current to the cosmic order.
Protection from avadya implies a movement toward truth-purity of intention.
Gathering of powers into a unified current that multiplies abundance.
Yogic discipline: purification (śuddhi) + concentration (dhāraṇā) under Agni.
Fire = will; path = energy-channel; gathering = integration of parts; thousandfold wealth = manifold inner faculties awakened.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as protector of the worshipper and as the convergence-point of the path and wealth. Mythically: the god guards and grants. Psychologically: the inner flame preserves the aspirant from error and draws the right movement (pāthaḥ) and plenitude (rayi) into a unified progress.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ ‘protect’ is an old Indo-European root family (cf. Latin pāstor ‘protector/shepherd’ from *peh₂- ‘protect, feed’). The protective function of the fire-god aligns with a broad Indo-European motif of divine guardianship.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Direct supplication: the rishi asks for protection and for the gathering of the path and the desired plenitude. The reciprocity is explicit—human striving (vanuṣyat) is met by divine safeguarding and enrichment.
Invoke protective will; collect scattered energies into one channel directed to the inner flame.
Manipura (will/protection)
Exhale-lengthening (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 6) while repeating ‘saṃ’ phrases to feel gathering; brief breath retention only if trained.
From vulnerability to guarded steadiness; from dispersion to integrated force.
Start by offering faults and self-blame into Agni; then consciously ‘collect’ attention (saṃ) and invite rayi as quiet strength, not excitement.
Maintain crisp caesura after vocatives (‘tvam agne…’); emphasize the two ‘saṃ’ beginnings as gathering beats.
Slightly strengthen ‘ni pāhi’ and ‘avadyāt’; give a unified swell on ‘saṃ tvā… saṃ rayiḥ’.
vanuṣyataḥ: keep ṣy cluster clear (va-nu-ṣya-), sahasāvann: double n lightly, don’t over-nasalize, dhvasmanvat: articulate dhv- cleanly; avoid inserting a vowel, spṛhayāyyaḥ: keep spṛ- with vocalic ṛ; yy as a geminate glide
Protective, concentrated, slightly intensified on the ‘saṃ’ phrases.
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